The [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greeks]] used to believe that the philtrum was one of the most [[erogenous]] spots on the human body, hence the [[etymology]].<ref>Talasangguniang eMedicineDictionary (Piltrum)</ref>
==Folklore==
According to the [[Jewish]] [[Talmud]] ([[Niddah]] 30b), God sends an [[angel]] to each womb and teaches a baby all the [[wisdom]] that can be obtained. Just before the unborn baby comes out, the angel touches it between the upper lip and the nose and all that it has taught the baby is forgotten.
Commentries on this particular story can be found in "What the Angel Taught you" by [[Rabbi Noah Weinberg]] and [[Yaakov Salomon]] (ISBN 1-57819-134-3).
Similarly, in other folksayings, it is said that an angel "shushes" the baby in the womb, to stop it from talking about heaven, or to forget. Other stories say that it is an indent left by the finger of God. Still more say that it is the spot where the angel put his finger to "shush" the child after having told it a secret. (This was memorably referenced in the film ''[[The Prophecy]]'' by the arch-angel [[Gabriel]] ([[Christopher Walken]]).)
